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Inmate Transfer in Calif. Unleashed ‘Public Health Disaster': Report
The report provided new details on last spring’s catastrophic decision to move inmates from the California Institution for Men east of Los Angeles to San Quentin State Prison north of San Francisco. The inmates were put onto buses for the more than 400-mile (680 kilometer) trip and the tight quarters increased the risk of infections spreading.
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Guards Upset Over Lack of Vaccination Plan in Prisons
Connecticut’s unionized prison guards expressed anger Wednesday over what they say is the lack of a plan to vaccinate them against COVID-19. Jody Barr, the executive director of AFSCME Council 4, said the union was told there would be a plan to vaccinate prison employees by early January, but they have yet to hear when they might get the vaccine,…
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Feds Announce Increased Vaccine Allocation; State Leaders Still Hope for More Doses
Connecticut Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe said the Biden Administration’s plan to increase vaccine allocation means an increase from 46,000 to 53,000 first doses per week for at least the next three weeks.
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1 in 5 Prisoners in the US Has Had COVID-19; 1,700 Have Died
One in every five state and federal prisoners in the United States has tested positive for the coronavirus, a rate more than four times as high as the general population.
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Inmate Who Gave Birth in Cell Gets $250,000 in Settlement
Connecticut officials are paying $250,000 and admitting no wrongdoing in a settlement of a lawsuit brought by a state prison inmate who gave birth on a toilet in her cell and claimed she was denied medical care, according to details of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press on Saturday. Attorney General William Tong’s office provided the AP with a…
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Justice Department Sues Alabama Over Prison Conditions
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Alabama over conditions in the state prisons
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10th Department of Correction Inmate Dies of COVID-19
Another inmate in the Department of Correction system has died of complications related to COVID-19, department officials said Monday. Officials said the 67-year-old man was transferred from the MacDougall-Walker Medical Isolation Unit to the hospital on November 26. He died Sunday. This is the 10th COVID-19-related inmate death reported since the pandemic began, according to data released by the department….
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Department of Correction Inmate Dies of COVID-19
An inmate in the Department of Correction system has died of complications related to COVID-19, department officials said Friday Officials said the 44-year-old man was transferred from the MacDougall-Walker Medical Isolation Unit to the hospital on October 15. He died Friday. Officials said the man had underlying conditions. This is the ninth COVID-19-related inmate death reported since the pandemic began,…
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Department of Correction Inmate Dies of COVID-19 Complications
An inmate in the Department of Correction system has died of complications related to COVID-19, department officials said Wednesday. Officials said the 45-year-old man was transferred from Osborn Correctional Institution to the hospital on October 15. He died Wednesday. He is the first COVID-19 related death since May and the eighth since the pandemic began, according to the department’s COVID-19…
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How Felony Disenfranchisement Affects Everyone—Not Just Former Felons
In many states across the country, people with felony convictions are prohibited from voting, or only allowed to vote under certain conditions, even after they’ve served their sentence. Jay Jordan, who served time in prison as a young man and is currently the Director for Californians for Safety and Justice, explains how limiting their rights hurts more than just former...
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How the Coronavirus is Exposing Deeper Problems in the American Prison System
Since coronavirus entered the U.S., nearly 16,000 have fallen ill of COVID-19 and 134 have died. That number does not include people incarcerated in state prisons across the U.S. The Marshall Project’s criminal justice reporter Keri Blakinger explains why the general public should care about protecting people in prisons.
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California's Prison Chief is Retiring Amid Virus, Protest Pressure
California’s corrections secretary is retiring after two years in a job that Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday said involved “unparalleled challenges” — most recently coronavirus outbreaks that swept state prisons and led to calls for new leadership amid increasing social pressure to ease mass incarceration. Ralph Diaz will retire Oct. 1 after 30 years with the California Department of Corrections…
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US Prison Populations Down 8% Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
There has been a major drop in the number of people behind bars in the U.S. An analysis by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press found that between March and June, more than 100,000 people were released from state and federal prisons.
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DOC Releases Results of Mass Testing
The Connecticut Department of Correction has released results of its COVID-19 mass testing efforts, revealing a positive test percentage of 9%. In May the DOC began testing as many of its prisoners and staff. Out of the 9,504 prisoners tested across the system, 832 were positive. Officials said all but two tested as part of the mass testing effort were…
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Connecticut Inmate Speaks Out On Coronavirus in Prison
“What they’re doing is ridiculous, illogical, and arbitrary.” Inmate Michael Liebowitz leveled that criticism toward the Connecticut Department of Correction’s response to the novel coronavirus. He called NBC Connecticut Investigates after watching our series of stories on an exclusive survey of 300 plus correction officers on how the DOC has handled the pandemic. So far seven inmates have died...
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Inmate Details Prison Conditions During Pandemic
Inmate Michael Liebowitz reached out after our NBC CT Investigates stories on how the Connecticut Department of Correction has handled the coronavirus outbreak
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Seventh Conn. Inmate Dies From Covid-19
A 60-year-old male is the seventh inmate to pass away from COVID-19 related complications under the supervision of the Connecticut Department of Correction. “The deceased individual was transferred from the Osborn Correctional Institution to the UConn Health Center for treatment on April 30, 2020,” said a DOC spokesperson. “He succumbed to his illness on Tuesday.” He last entered the Connecticut correctional…
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‘6 Feet Apart is Not a Thing in Our Prison.' Correction Officers Share Takes on Coronavirus Precautions
Questions remain about how well coronavirus can be contained in our state prisons. A week ago, the Connecticut Department of Correction announced more than 100 prisoners tested in one of its facilities tested positive for the virus. System-wide, there have been six coronavirus-related inmate deaths. It has begged the question, is the Connecticut Department of Correction taking enough steps...
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Correction Officers Detail Concerns Over Coronavirus
More than 300 corrections officers answered our exclusive survey about their concerns over coronavirus and its risks.
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Coronavirus Spread, Lack of PPE Still Concern Correction Officers
The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on the state prison system. In one facility so far, a third of the inmates tested positive for coronavirus, but were asymptomatic, as the Department of Correction starts widespread testing. At least 369 staff members, agency-wide, have also tested positive. The agency said more than 300 of those have returned to work. NBC…